Killteam Onslaught in my campaign have just earned their first honours (six between four marines for four missions). They also have access to a growing list of distinctions and elite advances based on the nature of their enemies faced and missions completed. They are well into rank four and all on 39/40 reknown for reference, their reknown just catching up to their xp (they were on low reknown for a time during the long first mission).

I got to thinking about replacement characters since two marine are down to a single fate point each.

Some thoughts:

* Replacements would have to be marines of some standing in their own chapters. A hard-bitten veteran or a crazily talented youngster. Anything less would not be plausible for this killteam.

* Replacements have not had the same experiences, so they would not have access to the list of extra advances for the current members. But they would have other experiences, likely quite trying ones.

* A replacement without at least one honour would not be considered acceptable for a number of missions that the killteam could plausibly be sent on. Honours are proof of deeds done and ability shown, so no honours = no proof = a lesser view of the marine from the Deathwatch command staff.

* Several advanced specialties include an honour as a requirement and even a specific honour. This includes specialties such as Honour Guard who are not likely to be seconded to the Deathwatch *before* they enter the speciality.

So, what I aim to do with a replacement character:

* Have the player come up with a background with some detail (have gotten backgrounds of some sort for all the current characters).

* Create a list of distinctions the character can obtain based on the background. Not picked by the player directly, but I'm willing to listen to suggestions so long as they're plausible in background and not a cheap attempt to powergame (I doubt the latter will be a problem).

* Provide at least one honour for the character, again based on the background. The crux terminatus and iron halo are now both plausible for replacements, let alone the other honours.

So, any comments?

I can sort of understnad your feelings on the replacements needing to have some sort of honours to show their proof, but remember that Onslaught started out green and it is the duty of veterans to show younglings the way. I can see that there may be some problems with requisitions, but I personally feel that a new rank one character to replace a veteran who has died, provides a good roleplay opportunity, and IMHO, a realistic one. Whatever you decide, what ever works for you and your players, have fun.

E

The most unrealistic thing in Deathwatch is the idea of a Kill-team being formed exclusively from new members of the Deathwatch. However, the game wants to let all PC parties join together, so it's the norm. However, I don't really recommend maintaining this exception by pulling in new characters with equivalent xp/rank/renown to the old members of the team. instead bring in starting characters to be the replacements. Now the Kill-team will continue to evolve as senior members die or are reassigned (after reaching the end of Rank 8) and newer members join in.

HappyDaze said:

Except there's something relatively unenjoyable about playing a character with 10,000 less XP than everyone else.

Or at least I think most people would agree with that statement.

Kshatriya said:

Those that agree probably didn't play early versions of D&D (and other games from the 80s) where differing xp levels were the norm. Kids these days just can't take not being a winner all the time.

Differing XP levels being the norm 20-30 years ago doesn't automatically mean it was a good mechanic or playstyle. I'd say that if games have skewed toward promoting XP-parity among players for the majority of the playtime, then that is the experience gamemakers have chosen for the present, which is really all that matters where new products are concerned.

You say I sound immature and implicitly gamist, I say you sound bitter and nostalgic. Tomato tomahto, ad hominems add nothing to a discussion. It has less to do with "always being a winner" and more to do with "not being forced to automatically be objectively much less competent for the foreseeable future."

Kshatriya said:

I said nothing of the sort. You are the one that found offense, and you are the trying to make this personal.

As for being "objectively much less competent" I say that really doesn't matter so long as:

1) The characters are not in competition with one another (such as PvP).

AND

2) All characters provide needed roles in accomplishing the mission.

I say that you can typically mix Deathwatch SMs of any rank into a team and all can contribute. If there's only one or two higher-ranked old vets among a group of newer 'replacements' then those old vets will be expected to pull more weight. If it's just a single 'rookie' coming in to replace a fallen vet, then the others will have to help the character along a bit until they learn the ropes (and the current 'rookie' may well be the 'old vet' of the team when the old characters are killed or retire from the Deathwatch).

Thank you all for your thoughts thus far.

Just to be clear, I keep all PCs on the same experience level. At all times. They live or die as a group. Reknown has been kept pretty close because the team works so closely together, but a few individual deeds came to the fore in the last mission (e.g. the assault marine taking down a previously uninjured Ork Warboss in a single furious charge and subsequent multiple attack). I'm not going to penalise a player for having a character die on them (assuming they continue to play their space marine as such and not having them cower in a corner trying to avoid the grim reaper).

So any new PC will have the same xp and reknown as their old character. Besides any OOC reasons to let players use the xp and reknown they've earned (albeit with a different character), I find it questionable that a rank one character would be assigned to a killteam so much more experienced than them. A difference of a rank, maybe two, could be justified but Onslaught are nearly in rank five and in universe that gulf of battle experience shows. Frankly, even the high starting level of competence in the Deathwatch would mean a theoretical rank one character would be nearly as much a liability to be looked after than an asset, a weak link enemies could exploit.

My queries solely have to do with the fine details of what, if any, honours and distinctions the new equally ranked characters will be allowed to begin with.